Spring is reluctantly moving into eastern Ontario. Most of the back lakes and swamps are still frozen but the birds seem to have their own timetable and are returning nonetheless. Thousands of Canada Geese were on the move yesterday morning taking advantage of the southwest winds. There were 4 Snow Geese mixed in with Canadas west of the Lennox generating station and a Greater White-fronted Goose was in the Amherst Island ferry channel last Saturday. Two Northern Shovelers and a Canvasback were in the Amherstview sewage lagoons along with 30 Bonaparte's Gulls on Wednesday. Pied-billed Grebes were at Gananoque on the 26th and on the Clogg Road on the 2nd. A Common Loon was flying along the Bath Road on Wednesday and 5 Double-crested Cormorants flew along the St. Lawrence to the east of the city yesterday.
Osprey have come back in numbers; Elginburg on the 31st, Lennox generating station and Gananoque on the 1st. There was also a Broad-winged Hawk at Elginburg last Sunday. The number of hawks on both islands remains substantial with a notable increase in the number of N. Harriers. A few signs of "real" spring include a Tree Swallow on Garden Island last Saturday, 20 more on Creekford Road on Wednesday, Am. Woodcock displaying at Elginburg and Camden East, Common Ravens nesting in a farm shed near Gananoque, (this has become an annual occurrence), 2 Eastern Phoebes; the first at Elginburg on the 2nd and another at Camden East on the 3rd, and a female Red-winged Blackbird at Camden East on Wednesday. Other migrants included a Belted Kingfisher on the Napanee River north of Yarker on Wednesday and 2 Rusty Blackbirds and 5 Golden-crowned Kinglets seen at Little Cat yesterday. Winter birds have not yet disappeared. There were 13 Bohemian Waxwings at Elginburg last Saturday and there has been a mixed flock of Cedar and Bohemian in Henderson Place all week. Evening Grosbeaks are still in the Bedford Mills area and several local feeders are still entertaining large numbers of Common Redpolls. There have been a couple of sightings of Snow Buntings this week and there was a Snowy Owl on Hwy 15 south of the 401 on Wednesday. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
